


intelligent by design (it makes me wanna cry)

by DeanGirl2Y5



Series: i am the mastermind (underline mastermind) [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different Mastermind (Dangan Ronpa), But that's minor compared to the other stuff, Character Death, Dangan Ronpa - Freeform, Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, Despair, Enoshima Junko Being Enoshima Junko, F/F, F/M, Femslash, Guns, Gunshots, Hanging, Hope vs. Despair, I'm not sure how to tag this since I cut it before it happens because I can't write sex, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Sex, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Making Instruments out of Bones, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV Enoshima Junko, POV Naegi Makoto, Semi-Canon Compliant, Swearing, Tags Are Hard, Ultimate Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Warning: Enoshima Junko, junko is still the mastermind, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 17:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12346974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeanGirl2Y5/pseuds/DeanGirl2Y5
Summary: Danganronpa Mastermind AU.“'upupupupu. guess who?'”Or; an alternate take on the Killing School Life (feat. the outside world).





	intelligent by design (it makes me wanna cry)

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to part two of the _i am the mastermind (underline mastermind)_ series!
> 
> As mentioned in the tags, there will be Trigger Happy Havoc spoilers, so either go play the game or watch someone play it! Also, as per usual in the Danganronpa series, there will be gore. AKA listen to the tags! I gave this series a Mature rating for a reason! I may up the rating for this one and the next part up to Explicit later on. I don't know yet since I haven't rewritten part three yet.
> 
> Like for the previous part, the names are going to be written as last name first name. For example: _Naegi Makoto._
> 
> Translation, notes, and fun facts are on the bottom.
> 
> Italics, in this particular fic, aren't flashbacks. They're point of view switches because, instead of just retelling the entirety of Trigger Happy Havoc (with a twist!), I decided to write different POVs to compensate. Essentially, this story is told from Makoto's, Junko's, and Emi's points of view, but mostly Makoto's and Emi's. And, if Junko seems OOC, I apologize. I realize that she doesn't care about anything except despair, but Naeshima is one of my Danganronpa ships (the others being Hajime/Chiaki, Kuzupeko, and Akane/Nekomaru), okay?
> 
>  **DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing but Sato Emi, her family, and backstory. The Danganronpa series is owned by Spike Chunsoft. The only Danganronpa related things I own are a pair of gloves with Monokuma's face on them, a Monokuma plushie, copies of the Trigger Happy Havoc and Goodbye Despair soundtracks, and digital copies of Trigger Happy Havoc, Goodbye Despair, and the V3 demo. Title for this fic (and the series itself) comes from "Mastermind" by Mindless Self Indulgence.
> 
> Constructive criticism welcomed and appreciated, as per usual!

The sixteen students introduce themselves, and Naegi Makoto mentally lists their talents.

Maizono Sayaka, Asahina Aoi, Togami Byakuya, Oogami Sakura, Hagakure Yasuhiro, Fujisaki Chihiro. Enoshima Junko, Kuwata Leon, Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Owada Mondo. Celestia Ludenberg _(Celes,_ he mentally fixes), Yamada Hifumi, Fukawa Touko, and Kirigiri Kyouko.

Idol, swimmer, heir, wrestler, fortune-teller, programmer. Fashion girl, baseball player, hall monitor, gang leader. Gambler, doujin author, literary girl, and unknown.

Makoto decides to introduce himself last and says with a grin, “My name is Naegi Makoto. I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student.” His talent feels like a bitter pill, and he doesn't understand it. Shaking it off, he begins a conversation with Maizono.

**//**

_Outside the academy, a teen girl with shoulder-length red and purple hair (she cut it two weeks ago) and red eyes intently watches Naegi Makoto chat with Maizono Sayaka, her eyes narrowed in a glare._

_Unfortunately, it's not her turn yet. Her multi-colored haired senpai and partner-in-despair is on stage, singing while their other partner dances. Their concerts are always beautiful to watch._

_The arena always smells like gunpowder and blood at the end._

_She usually does the background vocals, but there are times when she's in the direct spotlight, and that's what she loves the most. So full of despair, and the redhead loves it._

_That's when she gets a text on her phone._

_She clenches her free hand into a fist, and she sends back a quick_ 'yes' _in reply._

_The reply of the person on the other end is just as quick, almost as if she'd had it ready from the get-go._

_And she almost purrs at that, but she looks back at the screen and glares at the Ultimate Idol._

_Maybe she should come to one of their concerts. Maybe—_

_Ibuki's voice pulls her out of her train of thought. The former Ultimate Musician is practically grinning as she says, “It's clean-up time, Em!”_

_Emi grins back as she stands up. “I think we should send invites to my aunt and uncle! Let them in on the fun!” she replies._

_Mioda gives a thumbs up, her grin widening as the two walked out of the room._

**//**

From the moment Monokuma appears and announces the killing game, Makoto knows his purpose, and his brain immediately accepts it as fact. It's a way to shrug off the title of Ultimate Luckster (he mentally shudders at the title, since he can't exactly do it _physically)._

He's in a school filled almost to the brim with despair, littered with suspicion and fear. Who wouldn't take it on themselves to spread hope? He'd be the person they'd all turn to, the glue that kept everyone together.

It's perfectly natural to try and protect his friends, he knows, even though they barely know each other. Some of them even made it crystal clear that they don't like him, they're his _friends_ and he needs to _protect them._ His mind is very insistent about that, and he doesn't question it; after all, why would he? Who would lie to himself?

(something barely noticeable behind the thick fog in his mind whispers there's more to this than it seems. yet the voice is so low he can barely hear it.)

**//**

_Emi is standing on stage, wearing a skeleton feather print tank top covered by a faux leather zip-up motorcycle jacket, a black leather bracelet with an oil slick heart on her right wrist, rose gold music note necklace, ripped denim shorts, and black Converse. A microphone is in her hand, and she's standing under the spotlight. Ibuki is standing behind her, guitar at the ready. On her left is Saionji, holding her fans._

_The crowd is silent, and she can see Uncle Takumi and Aunt Mika standing right in front of her. Both of their faces give away their shock._

_Luckily, she and Ibuki have a song prepared (the two of them wrote it in Ibuki's apartment) as Emi calls out, “This song is dedicated to my Uncle Takumi and Aunt Mika, who are standing right there.” She points at them with a grin._

_Then she begins to sing, Ibuki harmonizing while playing on her bone guitar (she loves that thing. Emi does too, to be honest). When they end the first verse, people are sobbing, including Uncle Takumi and Aunt Mika (though they both look so confused). Emi hears a few gunshots, and she smiles so widely that she thinks her face might_ crack.

_Her aunt and uncle, however, look so panicked, but Emi and Ibuki keep singing and, by the end of the chorus, there are several bodies hanging from the trees around the stage, and gunshots echo every few seconds. Tears fill Emi's eyes even when she sees that her aunt and uncle are still alive._

_She can barely hear them begging her to stop, asking her_ whywhywhy.

_However, she jumps off the stage, her Converse shoes getting covered in pink blood as she sings directly in front of their faces. It doesn't take long for them to shoot and kill each other, their blood splattering all over Emi's clothes, but she doesn't care, and the two musicians finish their song._

_It's only during the clean-up that Emi gets the magic text and, after apologizing to both Ibuki and Saionji, she runs off like a shot toward Hope's Peak._

**//**

The moment Monokuma tells them to come to the computer lab several days later makes him feel semi-nervous.

Of course, he's bonded with most of his classmates (finding out Kuwata hates playing baseball made him seethe for hours afterward with hate for the baseball player, and he doesn't know or understand why), so he hopes whatever the robotic bear has planned won't cause a murder like he wants.

On the table closest to the door is a box of DVDs, each labelled with their names.

Makoto takes his and sits next to Maizono (the Idol had made herself his assistant on the first day). His hand shakes slightly and his heart pounds as he inserts the disc.

The image that shows up is of his parents and younger sister Komaru sitting on the couch in their living room.

“ _Have fun at Hope's Peak, Makoto!”_ Mom states cheerfully, making Makoto blush.

Dad gives a thumb's up to the camera, saying, _“I know you'll make us proud!”_

Komaru grins and waves at the camera. _“I miss you already, onii-chan!”_ she says.

Makoto smiles, forgetting about Monokuma and the Killing School Life he and his friends are trapped in...

...until reality (and despair) hits him like a freight train.

He hears the static for a brief second, and his smile fades. Once it goes away, his parents and sister are gone and the living room is disheveled. He gasps and covers his mouth to prevent himself from screaming.

 _I have to get outta here,_ he thinks. _I need to get outta here!!!_

His heart is pounding.

(behind that thick fog, a voice laughs, and, like before, he doesn't notice.)

One person screams, and a chair falls over. Makoto looks up and sees that it's Maizono. The idol runs out of the room, and the Luckster follows. He's been hanging out with here more than anyone else, he realizes. Maybe it's because of that crush he ~~(used to have)~~ has on her.

“I'll help you leave,” he promises.

**//**

_They're not gonna remember this, the strawberry blond decides. She's sitting on her throne in the class court room._

_It's been two days since she gave the first motive, and no murders have happened. So, she decided it was high time she entertain herself._

_How?_

_By kidnapping three of the players in her game, including one she'd already claimed as hers before it all started. Along with sending a certain redhead a text._

_Besides, her little Emi-chan deserved a reward._ Especially _after sending her three recordings of their despair concerts, including their most recent one._

_So far, none of the three boys have done a damn thing to entertain her while she waits for her little cover girl to come over. Thank sweet god that her dumb, ugly sister is watching for her._

“ _You jackasses are taking too long!” she calls out in that jarringly shrill voice of hers. “What's with you guys?_ Ugh!”

_Currently, she's not sitting like a lady because she loves to make boys squirm._

_And, good god, do they ever._

_The gawdy redhead on the right is literally staring at her black lace panties. Same thing with the small one._

_It's not too much of a surprise to her, really. Though he doesn't remember, his body sure does._

_Yet, she still sinks into her seat, palm eating her cheek and face stricken with a pout. “I can't stand waiting! I just can't stand it! I might have to do something_ fun _to keep myself from dying of boredom.”_

_Before anyone could say anything, a familiar redhead skips into the room, pink splotches on her clothes and shoes. The redhead stops right in front of the blond._

“ _I came as soon as I got your text, Enoshima-sama,” she states shyly, twirling a lock of purple hair around her finger._

_The three behind her are shocked, to say the least. The Luckster, however, is squinting at the sight of her, almost like he barely recognizes the purple and auburn-haired girl in front of him._

_The mastermind claps and practically jumps of the throne (ignoring the three boys' sigh of relief) before kissing the former Ultimate Cover Songstress right on the lips, grabbing her by her bloodied shirt. Emi-chan sighs and grabs the blond's twintails as her eyes slide shut in bliss._

_The blond, however, opens one eye and sees all three resume their squirming, apparently loving the show._

_Another reason why she texted Emi-chan. She knows most boys are fans of girl on girl action. However, she didn't like sharing her cover singer with anyone but her co-mastermind. She knows Emi-chan was his first, after all, and completely despairs over that fact._

_And_ loves _it._

_The blond is the one to break the kiss, pink blood on her fingers. Emi-chan's panting and purrs when the blond gently pets her head._

_She looks over at the three boys and sees that it's the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, Togami Byakuya, who has pissed his pants just like she wanted, and she lets out a full-out laugh. Togami, however, flushes red in embarrassment._

“ _That was only part one of your reward, Emi-chan,” she states with a wide grin. “Ready for part two?” Her grin turns almost predatory._

_Emi-chan's grin mirrors hers as she nods, and they both look over at Naegi Makoto._

_Yeah, those three aren't gonna remember this._

**//**

Sad. Angry. Shocked. Determined.

You name it. Naegi Makoto felt it when he found Maizono's body in his bathroom. He hates to think this, but one of his friends had killed her. That made him so _furious_. He's so outraged on behalf of his deceased classmate, so blood-boilingly _angry_ that he thought he could just kill them all.

But, they are still all his friends, he needs to protect and believe in them (his brain pushes this with all of it's strength), and to think that someone had betrayed that trust... was he really worth that little.

Sixteen has gone down to fourteen, and, after this trial, that number will go down to thirteen.

He spares a moment before he enters the elevator (everyone else is already inside) to honor Enoshima, remembering her death with his head bowed. She'd sacrificed herself to avoid this trial, to avoid despair, and had been struck down because of it. It was...ironic? No, that isn't the right word. 'Sad' didn't seem to do the scenario much justice either. He guesses that made her death...despair-inducing? She dared to stand up for hope and was slaughtered instantly because of it. Yeah, that's pretty accurate. But he isn't going to give in! He refuses to despair, because what would the others do without him?

With that thought in mind, he enters the elevator.

(later that night, he dreams of an auburn and purple-haired girl with red eyes and a strawberry blond girl with her hair done up in twintails.)

**//**

Thirteen went down to eleven.

Kuwata is dead (he still couldn't explain his hatred for the baseball player). Fujisaki is dead. Mondo is dead.

All Makoto could feel, besides determination and anger and hope, is despair.

(if he's despairing, why does he feel so elated by it? Why does he want to grin? Despair is bad, hope is good...right?)

**//**

Eleven drops to eight.

Ishimaru is dead. So are Yamada and Celes.

Makoto isn't sure what to feel at this point. His emotions feel frayed and confusing. Then he sees Oogami fighting against Monokuma, and he decides it's best not to say anything about it to anyone.

To keep the harmony in the group.

Kirigiri's mad at him, but he has to make sacrifices and break his promise to her.

He weathers her anger and his own disgust at the methods he's forced himself to take, swallowing the black bile that rose in his throat at the mere thought of hope behind his fake carefree smile.

**//**

Eight drops to seven.

Oogami is dead by her own hand. In lieu of no blackened, Monokuma kills Fujisaki's AI Alter Ego.

Thankfully, Kirigiri forgave Makoto for keeping Oogami's fight against Monokuma a secret and kisses his cheek.

**//**

_Emi's mood drops, and she glares at the retreating form of Kirigiri Kyouko, who she knows is the Ultimate Detective. The red-head growls, tightly clenching her glass of water._

_Beside her, Ibuki grips her leg in comfort, and Saionji watches cracks form in the glass._

_However, Emi still smiles at the despair of it._

**//**

Seven is still seven.

Yet, Kirigiri warns Makoto to beware of the sixteenth student, Ikusaba Mukuro.

Seven goes back to eight.

Eight becomes nine once a body is discovered in the green house with the giant plant. The body is wearing the same clothes as the person that tried to attack him the night before.

Makoto's mind is whirling as he investigates with Kirigiri.

 _Everyone promised no more killing,_ he thinks.

(clearly one person didn't mean it, that voice whispers, and he hears it. dear God, he hears it loud and clear. but, faintly, he hears Kirigiri's voice tell him to believe in his friends, and he listens to it.)

Makoto realizes that the others believe that he did it because of the knife found at the scene.

And, for the first time since Maizono died, he has to prove his innocence.

**//**

He's falling.

Falling down the hole opened up by Alter Ego at the end of his punishment.

He can still hear Asahina's cries as he was pulled to his execution, like the other five before him. He closes his eyes, smiling until he hits...a net?

He has no time to process this as he's suddenly shocked and he screams and passes out.

_That's when the fog clears..._

_That's when he remembers everything..._

_...when he remembers the truth._

**//**

_Emi watches the fifth class trial. Alone._

_Ibuki and Saionji are outside, performing on stage as Emi watches Naegi Makoto be executed._

_And she feels broken, her soul crushed..._

_...until Fujisaki's AI opens up a hole and Naegi falls down it._

_Emi grins widely and claps excitedly._

_Mako-kun is coming back._

**//**

Acting.

That's what he does when Kirigiri saves him, thinking of what could've happened if she came a little earlier. When the fog lifted, when the truth of what he is, who's behind the game, what happened two nights before Maizono died, became clear.

He still does it, even after reuniting with the others...

...until he's alone in his room while everyone else tries to solve the puzzles he already knows the answers to.

That's when he drops the act, runs up to the control room, and throws open the door, seeing her sitting there, her strawberry blond hair done up in those twintails he couldn't believe he let himself forget about.

And he kiss her like it's the first time in a long time while she slips the cell phone into the pocket of his hoodie.

**//**

Makoto condemns Enoshima Junko to her death, just like she wanted. He almost grins at the sight of his girlfriend's despair as she prepares to push the button, but he holds back.

Besides, that would ruin the game.

(he knows his Emi-chan is grinning in his place.)

 _Let them think hope wins the day,_ he thinks, _when despair stands with them._

He almost lets out a full belly laugh when Kirigiri gives him the title of Ultimate Hope because he _knows_ what he is, and he's not hope.

He enjoys the expressions of hope on the other's faces. Part of him wants to pull the rug right out from under them, but he has bigger fish to fry.

When the others aren't looking, he sends her one text.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Translation(s):**  
>  Hajimemashite - Nice to meet you.  
> Onii-chan - big brother
> 
> All fake texts created with [this website right here.](https://ifaketextmessage.com/)
> 
>  **FUN FACT:** This was originally all told from Emi's POV, with some of Junko's POV thrown in, but I decided against it. Also, the text version of the laugh is pretty much Monokuma's Japanese laugh, not his English one. As much as I like his English laugh, I prefer his Japanese laugh.


End file.
